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Buttermilk Sandwich Bread (Pan Carre’)

Another bread post… I know, I have developed a slight obsession for bread-making, but the truth is there are so many ways to make beautiful breads, and now that I have embarked upon the journey of home-baking, I owe it to myself to search and experiment like there’s no tomorrow. So many breads, so little time! Pan Carre’ is a very famous Italian bread, especially among the little ones, as it keeps a soft crust and moist and brioche-like crumb. It makes the perfect sandwich bread for your kids lunch box. And if you have it in the morning with a generous amount of butter and jam, your day will be better and brighter.

1. Dissolve the yeast in the water. Leave to rest for 10 minutes, until it appears frothy.

2. In a large bowl mix the flours with the of honey or barley malt syrup, the buttermilk and the yeasted water. Knead well for about 5 minutes, then add the salt. If you the dough is too dry, add a few tablespoons of water. It it’s too wet, sprinkle a little flour and keep kneading until the dough is smooth and silky. As all flours vary slightly, don’t be alarmed if you need to make adjustments to achieve the right texture. Let your instinct guide you and you will not go wrong.

3. Leave the dough to rest onto a floured sheet of grease-proof paper for 30 minutes.

4. After its rested, the dough will appear smoother and very elastic. Gently stretch it in the shape of a rectangle and fold it onto itself three times. Put the dough in an oiled loaf tin, cover with oiled cling wrap and bulk-prove until doubled in size. This will take 1 1/2 to 2 hours, according to the temperature in your house. The cooler it is, the longer it will take.

5. Preheat you oven to 200 C (390 F).

6. Glaze the top with egg wash made with 1 beaten egg mixed with 2 tablespoons of milk, and bake for 25/30 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin for 30 minutes before lifting the bread out (or it may tear!), then rest on a wire rack until completely cool.

Really nice bread recipe, the crust does stay so soft. The only problem I had was knowing when it’s done, any tips- if using fan-asisited oven for example? I used all white flour so maybe that’s why it took longer time to bake so I had to cover it with tin foil for a while for the center to be done. Great recipe, thanks! Sonya